Machine for forming toe-caps.



N. GOUROUNAS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING TOE CAPS.

APPLICAHON FILED OCT-25. m

1,2623%. Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- NJ'GOUROUNAS. I

MACHINE FOR FORMING TOE CAPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 25, 1911.

1,262,325. Patented Apr. 9,1918;

2 sums-sum 2.

9 fH/vTz/t or NICHOLAS GOUROUNAS, F MILLIS, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING Ton-oars.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- PatentedApr. 9, 1918.

Application filed October 25, 1917. Serial No. 198,387.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,NIcHoLAs GOUROUNAS, a subject of the King of Greece, residing at Millis, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming Toe-Caps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for forming toe caps for boots and shoes, the object being to manipulate a flat leather blank in such a manner that it may be shaped to substantially the form which a toe cap assumes in a finished shoe, thus saving, to a great extent, the forming of the toe cap during the operation'of lastinga shoe and preventing injury to the toe cap by the lasting operation.

The machine of this invention is particularly adapted to be used in connection with leather which is liable to crack or become otherwise injured during the lasting operation such, for example, as patent leather.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims thereof. I

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved toe cap forming machine.

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a toe cap blank.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the toe cap after it has been formed by my improved toe cap forming machine.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views'of the drawings.

In the drawings, 5 is the frame of the machine, 6 is the stationary work support upon which the toe'cap 7 is placed. 8 is a movable work support, slidably mounted upon vertical pins 9 and supported upon springs 10 which encircle said pins. 11 is a clamp member provided with ears 12 which have sliding engagement with guides 13 on the frame of the machine. The clamp member 11 has racks 14 thereon into which pinions 15 mesh. The pinions 15 are fast to a shaft 16 rotatably mounted in bearings 17 in the frame of the machine anda rotary motlon is imparted tosaid shaft 16 by a handle 18 fast tosaid shaft,

A cylindrical carrier slide 19 is mounted to sllde and rotate in a bearing 20 upon the clamp member 11 and a vertical reciprocatory motion is imparted to said slide by a lever 21 which is pivoted at 22 (Fig. 2) to the frame of the machine. Arocking motion is imparted to the lever 21 by a treadle 23 pivoted at 24 to a bracket 25 fast to the frame of the machine and connected by a link 26 to the lever 21. The front end of the lever 21 is bifurcated to engage a collar 27 fast to the carrier slide 19 and the bifurcated' end of said. lever projects into an annular groove 28 in said collar27.

The carrier slide 19 extends through an arm 29 which is rotatably mounted upon radial arms 30 forming a'portion of the frame of the machine. Said arm 29 has a recess 31 therein (Fig. 2) through which extends a pin 32 fast to said arm 29, and mounted upon said pin is a block 33. A link 34 is pivotally connected at 35 to the'block 33 at one end and at the other end is pivotally connected at 36 to an arm 37 which is fastened to a shaft 38 rotatably mounted in a bearing 39 on the frame of the machine. The oppositeend of the shaft 38 has a pulley 40 fast thereto. A pin 41 is'fastened to the arm 29 and extends through a slot 42 in the carrier slide 19. v

The arm 29 is free to rock upon the arms 30 and is located in a slot 43 provided in said arms, whereby a rocking motion may 7 be imparted to the arm 29 by means of the link 34, but said arm is prevented from moving vertically by reason of its location in the slot43, so that the carrier slide 19 may be rocked by means of the crank arm 37, link 34 and arm 29, and a vertical reciprocatory motion may be imparted to said slide by means of the lever 21, link 26 and treadle .23. The link 26' is moved upwardly by means of the treadle and is moved downwardly y a spring ii, the upper end of which'bears against an ear e5 on the frame of the machine and the lower end of which bears against a collar 46 fast to the link 26.

The lower end of the carrier slide 19 has a collar 4-7 fast thereto with two radial arms 48 and upon each of said arms is rotatably mounted a former 49. The'outer ends of aid formers are preferably made of a spherical form at50 and while said formers are free to rotate upon the arms 4:8, they are prevented from longi tudinal movement thereon by means of the screws 51, the inner ends of which project into annular grooves 52 on said radial arms l8. The general operation of the machine 'hereinbefore specifically described is as follows: The toe cap blank 7 is placed upon the stationary Work-support 6 when the parts of the machine are in the relative positions illustrated in Fig. 1. The clamp member 11 is then depressed by means of the handle 18, rock-shaft 16, pinions 15 and racks l l until the same contacts with said toe cap blank and holds it firmly against the stationary support 6. The operator then presses his foot upon the treadle and moves the link 26 upwardly, thus rocking the lever 21 and causing the carrier slide 19 to move downwardly carrying with it the formers L9, and a rocking movement is imparted to the slide 19 and the formers 49 by means of the arm 29, link 34, shaft 88 and pulley 40. The formers will thus be brought into contact with the toe cap blank 7 and, rocking to and fro in the are of a circle, will gradually stretch the toe cap blank 7 and pull it out from between the clamp member 11 and the support 6 until it assumes the position illustrated in dotted lines, Fig. .1. As soon as the toe cap blank 7 bottoms upon the movable work support 8, said movable worksupport will yield through the springs 10 upon which it is supported. I

When the toe cap blank has been thus formed to the desired extent the operator releases the treadle 23 and the spring eel, acting through the link 26, will cause the front end of the lever 21 to be moved upwardly and the slide 19, together with the formers 49 attached. thereto, will also be moved upwardly and away from the blank. The clamp member 11 is then raised to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 by means of the racks 14, pinions 15, rock-shaft 16 and handle 18 to release the toe cap, which is then removed from the machine and the operation repeated. i

In Fig. i the toe capblank 7 is illustrated as it appears in plan view before it issubmitted to the operation of themachine and vvhich is provided former laterally with relation to said toe cap and means to move said former over the surface of said toe cap.-

2. A machine for forming toe caps having, in combination, a support for a toe cap, means to clamp said toe cap to said support, a former, a carrier upon which said former is rotatably mounted, means adapted to move said former laterally with relation to said toe cap and means to move said. former over the surface of said toe cap.

3. A machine for forming toe'caps having, in combination, a support for a toe cap, means to clamp said toe cap. to said support, a former, a slide upon which said former is mounted, means adapted to impart a reciprocatory movement to said slide and laterally with relation to said toe cap, and means to impart a rotary movement to said slide, whereby said former may be moved over the surface of said toe cap.

4. A machine for forming toe caps having, in combination, a support for a toe cap, means to clamp said toe cap to said support, a former, a slide upon which said former is rotatably mounted, means adapted to impart a reciprocato-ry movement to said slide and laterally with relation to said toe cap and means to impart a rocking movement to said slide, whereby said formermay be moved alternately in oppositedirections over the surface of said toe cap. r

5. A machine for forming toe caps having, in combination, a support for a toe cap, means to clamp said toe cap to said support comprising a slidable member, a rack on said slidable member, a pinion engaging said rack and means to impart a rotary motion to said. pinion, a former, a carrier upon which said former is mounted, means adapt-- ed to move said former laterally with relation to said toe cap and means to move said former over the surface of said toe cap.

6. A machine for forming toe capshavmg, in combination, a support for a toe cap,

means to clamp said toe cap to said support,

former, a slide, an arm projecting laterally from said. slide upon which said former'is .rotatably mounted, means adapted to ire:

part a reciprocatory movement. to said slide and laterally. with relation to said toe cap andme-ans -to. -impart a rocking movement-to said slide, whereby said former may be with relation to said toe cap and means to moved over the surface of said toe cap. move said former over the surface of said 7. A machine for forming toe caps havtoe cap. ing, in combination, a stationary support In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 5 for a toe cap, means to clamp said toe cap my hand in presence of tWo subscribing wit- 15 to said stationary support, a spring-sup nesses.

ported support for said toe cap located be- NICHOLAS GOUROUNAS. neath said stationary support, a former, a Witnesses: carrier upon Which said former is mounted, CHARLES S. GOODING,

10 means adapted to move said former laterally 1 JAMES P. NICHOLS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

